as in extramarital
relating to or being a sexual encounter or relationship between a married person and someone other than their spouse
had an adulterous affair that nearly destroyed his marriage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adulterous
As with the true story of the adulterous writers, there’s something at the center of The Disappear that feels cringily solipsistic.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2026
The adulterous state attorney general from Texas, Ken Paxton, survived an impeachment vote in 2023 over bribery and abuse of office and is now running for the U.S. Senate.
—Brandon Rottinghaus, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
In the months since the incident unfolded at Gillette Stadium, the public — which was quick to discover that Cabot worked as an HR executive under Byron, and that both were married to other people at the time — has been quick to brand the pair as adulterous villains.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2025
But with a twist so big — Sarah being the killer of her adulterous husband Adam’s mistress, Kelly Summers, and the one who set him up for the murder while simultaneously defending him tooth and nail in court — where was Rose to go after that?
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterous
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2026
The adulterous state attorney general from Texas, Ken Paxton, survived an impeachment vote in 2023 over bribery and abuse of office and is now running for the U.S. Senate.
—Brandon Rottinghaus, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
In the months since the incident unfolded at Gillette Stadium, the public — which was quick to discover that Cabot worked as an HR executive under Byron, and that both were married to other people at the time — has been quick to brand the pair as adulterous villains.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2025
But with a twist so big — Sarah being the killer of her adulterous husband Adam’s mistress, Kelly Summers, and the one who set him up for the murder while simultaneously defending him tooth and nail in court — where was Rose to go after that?
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulterous
Adjective
-
Every day brought a thousand little dramas, dropped lines and brilliant recoveries, missing props and onstage farts, the extramarital affair that Proteus and Julia had commenced, the gay actor’s wicked commentary on it, followed by bad behavior in bars.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
The Saturday report about Platner’s extramarital relationships added to mounting scrutiny of the progressive Democrat, whose past social media activity and a tattoo featuring a Nazi symbol have also caused controversy.—
Carter Schroppe,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
That includes academics, athletics, events, extracurricular activities and financial aid.—
Marie-Amelie George,
The Conversation,
28 May 2026
-
Komolafe has also done her share of extracurricular activities, leading the Key Club and Diversity Club at Oak Forest High School, and helping to organize a Nigerian and African American culture event.—
Janice Neumann,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adulterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterous. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
